Early Morning Rain
by MyLadyScribbler
Summary: It's a cold, rainy night outside of the refuge of Sanctuary. Neither Link nor Zelda can sleep following their harrowing escape from Hyrule Castle. So the two of them sit up talking, listening to the rain, and thinking of what awaits them.


A re-imagined version of Link and Zelda's escape to Sanctuary in _Link to the Past_. What might they have talked about if they'd ended up staying overnight?

Disclaimers, etc: _The Legend of Zelda_ is, as ever, the property of the kind people at Nintendo.

 **xLoZx**

Link lay on the bed, listening to the rain hammer against the stone roof of Sanctuary's guest house.

His eyes traveled around the little room: the wooden chair, the washstand with the basin and jug, and the few pegs on the wall for hanging clothes.

 _How long until morning,_ he wondered miserably.

Only a few hours earlier, he and Zelda had arrived at Sanctuary, wet and cold and disheveled, after escaping from Hyrule Castle. From the mad soldiers. From Agahnim.

The sages had insisted that Link stay the night at Sanctuary before setting out to find Sahasrahla. "You need your strength for all that lies ahead," they'd told him.

They'd given Link and Zelda two of the rooms in the guest quarters. Zelda was doubtlessly asleep in her room next door to Link's.

But Link seriously doubted he would get any sleep tonight.

"Try counting sheep. Or warm milk," his uncle would have said. "A good brandy's more to my liking, but that's too strong for the likes of you."

 _Uncle…_

Link rolled over onto his side and clutched his pillow to his chest, his insides aching terribly.

Everything in his life had turned upside down in the space of a few terrible moments.

His uncle: a big man, boisterous but gentle. A retired knight of the kingdom, Link's guardian, and last living relative. He'd been practically indestructible in Link's eyes.

Now, Link's last memory of his uncle was going to be of that man lying in a heap on a filthy dungeon floor, holding out the family sword and shield to Link as his last breath rattled in his throat.

Had one of the demon soldiers - for there was NO way those things had been the real guards of Hyrule Castle - struck down his uncle? Or had Agahnim himself struck the fatal blow?

Link didn't want to think about it.

Before tonight, he had been a carefree, if gawky, youth of fifteen. Now an entire kingdom depended on him. Zelda depended on him.

It was almost too much to think about. A boy and a girl, barely more than children, were all that stood between Hyrule and the schemes of a madman.

A knock at the door cut into Link's thoughts. "Link?" It was Zelda.

Link quickly sat up. "Come in," he said.

Zelda came in. She was still wearing her court dress: now ruined from the rain water, the mud, and heavens only knew what in the underground sewers. But the condition of her dress looked like it was the last thing on her mind.

"Can't sleep either, can you?" Link asked.

"No." Zelda slowly sat down on the bed and pulled her legs up underneath her.

For a while, they sat in silence, looking out the window at the rain pouring down.

After a moment, Zelda spoke. "There's an old story, in a book of legends Impa used to read to me when I was little. About a princess who could predict the future. Who could see disaster coming." She clenched her fists in her lap. "But no one ever believed her. The gods cursed her so that no one ever would listen to her." She looked at Link. "I feel like her now."

"About Agahnim?" Link asked.

"I knew he was trouble from the moment he appeared at court. I knew there was something about him. A certain…wrongness," she said. "But my father and all the court were amazed by his brilliance and eloquence."

"You tried telling people what you sensed?"

"I did, but why would they listen? I'm just a little princess who should be back in her schoolroom, playing with her toys," Zelda said sarcastically. She took a deep breath before continuing. "Agahnim worked his way into the court, until he was at my father's side as his most trusted advisor. And then…"

Zelda broke off. She stared at a fixed point on the wall. Her hands were shaking now.

"What happened?" Link asked carefully.

Zelda blinked rapidly and took another deep breath.

"He killed my father. Right in front of me," she said. "He blasted him with a magic curse like a bolt of lightning coming down from the clouds."

Link tried to visualize his, and felt his skin crawl. Zelda's father, Link's uncle. Two strong men felled like a tree in a storm.

"He got rid of the castle guards and replaced them with those demons. And then he started rounding up descendants of the seven sages. One descendant per sage."

"Why all girls?" Link wondered.

"I suppose he likes the idea of a pretty girl lying motionless on the sacrificial table," Zelda said with another dose of sarcasm.

"What did he do to them?"

"I don't know exactly. But I think he cast some spell to cast them all through the veil, and into the Dark World," Zelda said. "Something tells me that they're all still alive. But in some kind of trance."

"We'll find them," Link said, trying to muster up what little confidence he had. "We'll bring them back."

Both of them sat in silence for a moment more.

"Tell me about your uncle," Zelda said.

Now it was Link's turn to compose himself. "It's been just the two of us since I was little," he said quietly. "After my parents died. He raised me. Taught me everything I know."

"He must have been a great man."

"He is. Was," Link corrected himself.

He found himself casting a glance at his sword and shield, resting upright in a corner near the bed.

Zelda followed Link's gaze. "Was he the one who taught you to fight?"

"Well…" Link sighed. "We never really covered that when I was growing up. He only told me a few things. And he told me them just as he died."

"You mean you never handled a sword until tonight?" Zelda asked, amazed. "But the way you fought your way past the soldiers!"

"I know. I think…I don't know, maybe it was just instinct or something," Link said. "My uncle and my father were both knights in the king's service. They both saw lots of fighting. I think…" Link wondered how to put his thoughts into words. "I think he wanted to keep me from having to go into battle, to use a sword against another person, for as long as possible."

"Maybe he was acting for the best," Zelda said. "My father always said that fighting was an ugly business."

Link leaned over and picked up the sword. He gazed at the miniature Hylian crest carved into its hilt. "All my life, I've only seen this hanging on the wall at home. My uncle said it was only to be used in an emergency. For protecting the king."

"I wish I knew how to use a sword, to be honest." Zelda said wistfully. "Maybe I could have done something."

"They don't teach princesses about swords and weapons, do they?"

"No, unfortunately, it's not considered a usual part of a noble lady's education."

Link laughed. "Well, maybe when everything's over, I could teach you a few things."

Zelda smiled - the first time she'd smiled all night. "I'd like that."

Link set the sword down. "With your father gone…you're queen now, aren't you?"

"I suppose I am," Zelda said. "But I can't be officially crowned until I'm of age. Not for a few more years." She sighed. "I was hoping I wouldn't have to take my father's place as ruler for a long time. It's a big responsibility."

"I think you'll make a great queen," Link said. "A lot of people in the village talk about how the kingdom's going to be in good hands with you."

"I'm glad to hear they think that. And I think you'll make a great knight," Zelda answered.

"You think so?"

"We'll have a knighting ceremony for you as soon as Agahnim's out of the way and the kingdom settles down."

"I'm glad it's dark, because I'm blushing," Link said.

Zelda laughed.

And they sat talking, well into the night, until the dark storm clouds started to lighten to gray, and the first rays of the sun started to peer through the clouds to the east.

 **xLoZx**

So what'd you think? Reviews welcome!


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